The crew of the starship Enterprise return to the big screen in their best film yet. Currently in the middle of their five year mission, the team receive a call for help and are lead to a planet in uncharted space. An unexpected attack leaves them stranded there and forced to face a mysterious new enemy. This is a Star Trek film that goes above and beyond anything we've seen from this franchise so far.
Everything is larger in scale than before. From the blockbuster action to the sometimes hilarious comedy moments. The witty dialogue is guaranteed to make you laugh, and the action sequences will have you on the edge of your seat. Unlike Into Darkness there are actually some large scale space battles, and they are thrilling to witness. In terms of action, this blows it's predecessor completely out of the water. And this is what happens when you take a script co-written by Simon Pegg and get Justin Lin (director of Fast and Furious 7) to direct. It's just bigger and better than the last two films combined. The script is fantastic and often genuinely funny. But it's the chemistry between the main cast members that really makes Beyond.
Zachary Quinto, as usual, stands out the most. After spending three films as Spock it seems that becoming the character is second nature to him. Anyone who's watched the TV series Heroes and seen Quinto play the villain Syler will know that he throws everything he has at any character he's given. And this is certainly no exception. He steals every scene that he's in, which may partially be down to the fact that a lot of the jokes are at Spock's expense. The relationship between Spock, Kirk and Bones is one of the highlights of the whole film, and Chris Pine and Karl Urban are also at the top of their game. In fact, the whole cast just bounce off each other and have a great amount of energy and enthusiasm. Admittedly the plot is a rather simple affair, but the cast performances more than make up for it and really this is just a film that is great fun to watch.
The new additions to the cast are also very good. Sofia Boutella, who plays the alien warrior Jaylah, absolutely kicks ass and is strangely likeable despite her perpetual grim expression. And Idris Elba is practically unrecognisable as the antagonist Krall. The makeup and prosthetics are really very impressive, as are the special effects, especially in the action sequences where the Enterprise is often surrounded by a swarm of hostile ships. Star Trek: Beyond has all of the elements needed to be the blockbuster film of the summer. And as always, the obvious nods to the Original Series are fun and touching, especially the inclusion of a photo of the original crew and the mentions of Leonard Nimoy's Spock.
A fantastically fun summer blockbuster. Star Trek: Beyond provides excitement, adventure and plenty of humour. This is a film you just have to see.
